Chapter 15: Society and Economy Under the Old Regime in the Eighteenth Century (Divide and Conquer) Taking the time to do a study guide well reduces the time required to study well for an exam. As you invest, so shall you prosper. BIG QUESTIONS: (as you work through the chapter, keep these questions in mind) 1. What were the varied privileges and power of Europe s aristocracies in the Old Regime and what were their efforts to increase their wealth? 2. What was the plight of the rural peasants? 3. What was family structure and family economy? 4. How was Europe s economy transformed by the agricultural and industrial revolution? 5. What social tensions accompanied urban growth? 6. How did social change affect the institutions of the Old Regime? Introduction: The term Old Regime or Ancién Regime refers to the time period in Europe prior to 1789 (the French Revolution) 1. According to the textbook, the old regime was characterized by all of the following except: a. absolute monarchy c. aristocratic elites b. the scarcity of food d. Protestant domination 2. The leadership with the British aristocracy was composed of approximately families a. 200 b. 400 c. 600 d. 800 3. Whom of the following instituted the idea of crop rotation? a. Arthur Young b. Charles Townsend c. Jethro Tull d. Robert Bakewell 4. Whom of the following developed new techniques in animal breeding? a. Robert Bakewell c. Arthur Young b. Henry Cort d. Jethro Tull 5. Population growth during the 18 th century appears to be caused mainly by all of the following except: a. fewer wars and epidemics c. a decline in the death rate b. better medical knowledge and techniques d. changes in the supply and quality of food 6. During this century, which of the following was not a contributing factor to Britain s industrial development? a. generally low taxes c. rich deposits of coal and iron b. highly stratified class structure d. few internal trade barriers 7. The machine most responsible for bringing about the combination of industrialization and urbanization was the: a. power loom c. steam engine b. flying shuttle d. spinning jenny 8. In this era, poverty was a. worse in the cities b. considered a crime c. almost nonexistent d. worse in the countryside 9. Which of the following statements in most correct about the emerging middle class in Europe? a. The land was not a primary source of middle class income. b. The middle class wanted more regulation of trade and commerce c. The middle class lived chiefly in the towns and cities d. all of these are correct statements about the middle class of this era
10. Which of the following is least correct about 18 th -Century society? a. It was on the brink of considerable economic, social, and political change. b. Scarcity remained a major problem throughout western Europe. c. The growth of population was affective most areas of European life. d. There was a growing willingness among all the classes to seek innovative solutions to all the problems confronted. Outline/locate each of the following on the map. Countries 1. England 2. Scotland 3. Ireland 4. France 5. Prussia 6. Poland 7. Austria 8. Russia Capital Cities 9. London 10. Edinburgh 11. Dublin 12. Paris 13. Berlin 14. Warsaw 15. Vienna 16. Saint Petersburg Water Bodies/Rivers 17. Thames 18. Firth of Forth (good info for Trivia Pursuit) 19. Irish Sea 20. Seine 21. Oder 22. Vistula 23. Danube 24. Gulf of Finland
What were the FOUR Major Features of Life in the Old Regime? Maintenance of Tradition What was more important to the average Joe Schmo the past or the future? What did both nobles and peasants want? Hierarchy and Privilege What were sumptuary laws? What does corporate nature of social relationships mean? What parts made up a community? The Aristocracy What percent of any population of any country was made up of aristocracy? What type of power did the aristocracy hold? What element provided the aristocracy with its largest source of income? Varieties of Aristocratic Privilege How did one become an aristocrat? Summarize British Nobility Summarize French Nobility Summarize European Nobilities Austria/Hungary Prussia Russia Aristocratic Resurgence What does this term mean? What FOUR forms did this resurgence take? The Land and its Tillers What was the economic basis of 18 th -Century life and the foundation of status and power of the nobility? Peasants and Serfs (not surfer-dudes!) Which class controlled the local governments and courts? What were banalités? Corvee? Signeur? What was the status of serfs in Russia? How did Russian nobles figure their wealth? What is a çift? What was the trump card for Southeastern European peasants? Summarize Pugachev s Rebellion (Russia) Aristocratic Domination of the Countryside: The English Game Laws How did the Game Laws demonstrate the aristocracy s control of peasants? What is a higgler? Family Structures and the Family Economy What was the basic unit of production and consumption? Households What is the Northwestern European model of the household? What is neolocalism? What is a servant? Why did young people become servants? What is the Eastern Europe model of the household? What was the main purpose of the family? The Family Economy Why did everyone in the household work? What did the death of the father/husband mean for the family?
In Eastern Europe, in what context did the family function? What was the chief fact of life. What geographic mobility a possibility? Women and the Family Economy (Think Titanic ) Western Europe: What was a woman s life experience based on? Where did bearing and rearing children fit in? What is a dowry? What dominated a woman s concerns? What was Olwen Hufton s economy of expedients? What educational opportunities were offered to women? Children and the World of the Family Economy was a time of fear and personal vulnerability. Were children always welcomed into a family? What were the Paris and London Foundling Hospital? Why did their business increase during the 18 th century? What was the relationship between rising food prices and abandoned children? What was the status of children born into noble families? Literacy? The Revolution in Agriculture (Let s hear it for FARMERS!!! Whoo Hoo) What was the main goal of traditional peasant society? What played havoc on food prices? Who made the most profit from surplus food items? If there s a buck to be made Fill in this chart organizing the various agricultural geniuses of the time. Low Countries: Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg Who What innovations he developed What was the enclosure movement? What was right about it? What was wrong about it? Why did these innovations NOT succeed in Eastern Europe?
Make a chart depicting the population growth described on page 531. Why do historians debate the causes of this population growth? What was the overall impact/significance of the population explosion? (The last paragraph in the section Expansion of the Population is REALLY IMPORTANT!!!!!!!) The Industrial Revolution of the 18 th Century What did industrialization make possible? What new skills were needed? Why was this time truly revolutionary? A Revolution in Consumption What three things make up the most familiar side of the Industrial Revolution? What types of consumer items were now in great demand? What social factors came into play to establish the markets for these consumer goods? Who was Josiah Wedgwood and what was his role in this new consumerism? How did this expansion of consumption change social roles and structures? Industrial Leadership of Great Britain What four factors made Britain the industrial leader? New Methods of Textile Production What is cottage industry? What is the domestic system of textile production? What is the spinning jenny? What is the water frame? Textile: cloth or fabric that is woven, knitted, or otherwise manufactured The Steam Engine What advantages did the steam engine have over water power? Who invented the first practical steam engine? Who improved upon this model? Where was the improved steam engine first used for commercial purposes? What did the steam engine do to transportation systems? Iron Production What method of iron production did Henry Cort introduce? What was the ultimate significance of Cort and others innovations? The Impact of the Agricultural and Industrial Revolutions on Working Women What were women s roles? Did they change? If yes, how? If not, why not? What was the defamation of women workers? The Growth of Cities In 1500, what were the four major cities of Europe? By 1800, what percent of the population lived in cities? Patterns of Preindustrial Urbanization Make a chart describing urban growth of the cities and populations listed in this section. What kind of cities grew the most vigorously? What was urban growth from below? Urban Classes Summarize the phenomena of different economic classes. Where was poverty worse? Who made up the upper classes? Who made up the middle class? What place did artisans take in urban society? The Urban Riot
What types of situations led to urban riots? What was a bread riot? At whom or what was most violence directed? The Jewish Population: The Age of the Ghetto Where did the majority of European Jews live? What was Catherine the Great s attitude toward Russian Jews? What were court Jews? Who was Samuel Oppenheimer? What was the general attitude of Jews who converted to Christianity? Multiple choice answers: 1. d 2. b 3. b 4. a 5. b 6. a 7. c 8. d 9. d 10. b